Fabric drying machine with timer control



` Dec. 15, 1964 J. D. EDWARDS FABRIC DRYING MACHINE WITH TIMER CONTROL13 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 4, 1961 @525A Imp?! Dec. l5, 1964 J. D.EDWARDS 3,161,481

FABRIC DRYING MACHINE WITH TIMER CONTROL Filed Oct. 4, 1961 13Sheets-Sheet 2 Dec. 15, 1964 J. D. EDWARDS 3,161,481

FABRIC DRYING MACHINE WITH TIMER CONTROL.

Filed Oct. 4, 1961 13 Sheets-Sheet 5 fnz/en-o" `fermes D Edwards @wa ma@Dec. 15, 1964 J. D. EDWARDS FABRIC DRYING MACHINE WITH TIMER CONTROLFiled Oct. 4, 1961 13 Sheets-Sheet 4 .DNN www.

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fnz/enforj Jama Edy/afa@ Dec. 15, 1964 J. D. EDWARDS 3,161,481

FABRIC DRYING MACHINE WITH TIMER CONTROL Filed 001i. 4. T1961 13Sheets-Sheet 5 @55 fri-7W Dec. 15, 1964 .1. D. EDWARDS 3,161,481

FABRIC DRYING MACHINE WITH TIMER coNTRor. Filed oct. 4. 1961 l 1ssheets-sheet e Dec.'15, 1964 J. D. EDWARDS FABRIC CRYINC MACHINE WITHTIMER CONTROL l5 Sheets-Sheet 7 Filed Oct. 4, 1961 Dec. 15, 1964 J. n.EDWARDS FABRIC DRYING MACHINE WITH TIMER CONTROL 13 Sheets-Sheet 8 FiledOC. 4, 1961 Dec. 15, 1964 J. D. EDWARDS FABRIC DRYING MACHINE WITH TIMERCONTROL.

Filed oct. 4. 1961 13 Sheets-Sheet 9 fnverzor'.' Jamesf'dwards Dec. 15,1964 J. D. EDWARDS FABRIC DRYINC MACHINE wrm TIMER CONTROL.

Filed Oct. 4, 1961 13 Sheets-Sheet 10 fnvezz'or/ James Edwards Mag Dec.l5, 1964 J. D. EDWARDS 3,161,481

FABRIC DRYING MACHINE WITH TIMER CONTROL Filed Oct. 4, 1961 1ssheets-skneet 11 fzverzZLo-t' James Edwards k www@ 1s sheets-sheet 12 MACif/NEI Dec. l5, 1964 J. D. EDWARDS FABRIC DRYINC MACHINE WITH TIMERCONTROL Filed oct. 4, 1961 @T252 frzz/enzlor.' fame Edwards TEMP. 5W

.SOLVENT LEVEL Dec. 15, 1964 J. D. EDWARDS FABRIC CRYINC MACHINE WITHTIMER CONTROL 13 Sheets-Sheet 13 Filed OCt. 4, 1961 fnl/67121071' kfameEdward? United States Patent tiee dli Patented Dee. 15, 1964 IllinoisFiled st, 4, 1961, Ser. No. 142,853 Claims. (Cl. 34-45) This inventionrelates to a fabric-drying machine and more particularly to a new andimproved control arrange-` ment for such machine.

An object of the invention is to provide a new and irnproved controlarrangement for a fabric-drying machine.

Another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved controlarrangement for a fabric-drying machine and providing for automaticopeartion of fabric-drying cycles of the machine.

Another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved controlarrangement for a fabric-drying machine having a master or intervaltimer for controlling electrically-operated components energizable in apredetermined timed sequence or intervals to providerautomaticfabric-drying cycles of the machine, and a subsidiary or sub-intervaltimer for performing separate control functions duringV certain timeintervals of the master timer. Y

Another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved controlarrangement for a fabric-drying machine in which a master or intervaltimer controls electrically-operated components in an automatic sequenceof intervals to provide diierent drying periods, and subsidiary orsub-interval timers jointly controlling inter-related electric circuitsto the interval timer and also the components, with said sub-intervaltimers having diiferent control functions.r

Another object of the invention is to provide a new` and improvedcontrol arrangement for a fabric-drying machine and in which asub-interval timer periodically advances an interval timer, controllingelectricallyoperated components, during a fabric-drying operationinvolving a sub-interval timer expanding a predetermined time intervalof the interval timer by the sub-interval time inactivating the intervaltimer motor and thereafter periodically activating the motor to delaynormal operation of the interval timer and thus Vincrease the normaltime interval period of the interval timer; and a thermostat, responsiveto the heated air circulated in the machine to dry the fabrics,controlling the operation of the sub-interval timer.

Another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved controlarrangement for a fabric-drying dry cleaning machine and in which asub-interval timer periodically advances an interval timer, controllingelectrically-operated components, during a fabric-drying operationinvolving removal of water moisture from the fabric, prior to thedry-cleaning operation, and during which operation, the sub-intervaltimer operates to stop the interval timer and stopping the intervaltimer periodically to expand the time interval of the interval timer andthereby the drying operation.

Another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved controlarrangement for a fabric-drying machine having heating means and heatedair circulation means and in which a sub-interval timer controls theoperation of an interval timer for a predetermined period of a dryingoperation to lengthen the normal time interval of the interval timer,the interval timer operation being controlled by a thermostat responsiveto a predetermined air temperature in the machine to prevent operationof the heating means and air circulation means and to simultaneouslydeenergize the interval timer and energize the sub-interval timer toperiodically advance the interval timer until the temperature fallsbelow said predetermined temperature when the thermostat is operative toreenergize the interval timer and deenergize the sub-interval timer.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a new and improvedelectrical control arrangement for a fabric-drying machine including anelectrical heater to heat the air in the machine, and anelectrically-operated heated air-circulation means to dry the fabric, anelectrical control circiut for said heater and air-circulation Vmeansand embodying a master or interval timer, and a thermostat responsive toa predetermined air temperature to deenergize the heater in the event ofinterruption of air flow during the drying cycle, due to mechanical orelectrical failure of the air circulation means, fabric blocking of aircirculation, or other adverse-drying conditions, and anelectrically-operable `subsidiary or subinterval timer engerized byoperation of the thermostat to deenergize the air-circulation means, thesubsidiary timer, when energized, being effective to energize the mastertimer periodically to advance the master timer, until the airtemperature is below the said predetermined temperature and the air flowcondition is remedied, or, if the condition cannot be remedied, forexample, when mechanical failure of the air-circulation means occurs, tocontinue periodic energization of the master timer for the remainder ofa time interval of the drying cycle.

Another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved controlarrangement fora fabric-drying machine including an electrical heaterand electricallyoperated heated air-circulation means to dry the fabric,the control arrangement having a master or interval timer having a motoroperable to normally advance a cam bank controlling switches arranged inelectrical circuits for electrically-operated components of the machine,including the electric heater and heated-air circulation means, during adrying time interval of the machine, and a plurality of subsidiary orsub-interval timers having motors to advance cam banks for actuatingswitches of the subinterval timers controlling electric circuits for"energizing and deenergizing the interval timer, the interval timermotor being effective to operate certain interval timer switches todeenergize the timer motor and to energize a first sub-interval timermotor to open and close one of its Y switches to periodically energizethe interval timer motor for expanding the normal time period of thedrying interval of the interval timer; operation of a thermostatresponsive to a predetermined temperature of the heated air circulatingin the machine deenergizing the heating means and energizing the motorof the second. sub-interval timer to deenergize the air-circulatingmeans, Vand the second timer motor being effective to cause the cambanlcof the second timer to periodically energize the interval timer forexpanding the normal time period of the drying interval of the intervaltimer until the air temperature in the machine is below thepredetermined temperature to etect Y operation of the thermostat toenergize the heating means and air circulation means and also todeenergize the second sub-interval timer motor and reenergize theinterval timer motor for the remainder of the drying interval, theelectric circuits controlled by the sub-interval timer motors forenergization of said interval timer including switches periodicallyclosable by the sub-interval timers for energizing the interval timerwith the switches being arranged in parallel in the circuits, the switchof the first sub-interval timer being inoperative to energize theinterval timer motor during energization of the second sub-intervaltimer motor.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will appear moreclearly from the following specifi- 3 cation in connection with theaccompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a front elevation of the dry cleaning system embodying theinvention, including two combination cleaning and drying machines;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the system illustrating the uid supplyarrangement and including a filter;

FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic perspective view of the system shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic rear view of the system, certain parts of thesystem being shown in changed position from that of FIGS. 1-3 to moreclearly illustrate a feature thereof;

FIG. 4A is a sectional view of a portion of the uid supply system andalso showing details of a fluid level device;

FIG. 5 is a vertical sectional view of one of the machines shown in FIG.l, said section being taken on line 5-5 of FIG. 1, and illustratinginterior parts of the machine including a fluid-containing receptacle, afabricreceiving basket, and an air-circulating fan, and means forrotatably mounting the basket and fan on the receptacle;

FIG. 6 is a rear elevational View of the machine shown in FIG. 5,illustrating the drive mechanism for basket and fan rotation andincluding a transmission providing difn ferent speeds of rotation of thebasket;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged sectional view of the receptacle, basket and fanand mounting means therefor of FIG. 5, said section being taken on line7-7 of FIG. 6, looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 8 is a greatly enlarged sectional view of the basket and fanmounting means shown in FIGS. 5 and 7, said section being taken on line8-8 of FIG. 6, looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 9 is a sectional view of the transmission shown in FIG. 6, saidsection being taken on line 9 9 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 9A is a front elevation of the electric drive motor unit includingdrive pulleys and clutch, said view being taken on line 9A-9A of FIG. 6and being partly in section to more clearly illustrate the structurethereof;

FIG. 10 is a side elevational view of the lower half of the machineincluding a cleaning fluid storage ta-nk, said view partly being insection to more'clearly illustrate the structure thereof;

FIG. 11 is a fragmentary top plan view of the controly valve arrangementmounted on the top of the fluid storage tank;

FIG. 12 is a view illustrating an air-venting vacuumbreaker valve shownin FIG. 11;

FIG. 13 is a side elevation of one of the control valves, taken on line13-13 of FIG. 14;

FIG. 14 is an end view partly in section, of the valve of FIG. 13, saidview being taken on line 14-14 of FIG. 13;

FIG. l5 is a fragmentary sectional view of the valve of FIGS. 13 and 14,said section being taken on` line 15-15 of FIG. 14;

FIG. 16 is a diagrammatic view of the control valve arrangement shown inFIG. 11;

FIG. 17 is a sectional view ofy a separating deviceA for differentfluids, said section being taken on line 17-17 of FIG. 11;

FIGS. 18 and 19 are vertical sectionalI views off one of the twoidentical air shutters, in the form of poppet valves, shown .in FIG. 6and provided for removal of` cleaning fiuid fumes from and about themachine at the conclusion of the drying cycle of the dry cleaningmachine, FIG. 18 illustrating the closed position of the valve andFIG.19 illustrating the open position of the valve;

FIG. 2O is a diagrammatic view of the electrical control arrangement ofthe dry cleaningV machine and including sequentially-controlledcam-operated switches;

FIG. 21 is a cam sequence chart illustrating the cleaning and dryingcyclesv of the dry cleaning machine.

Referring now to the drawings, FIGS. 1, 2, 3, and 4 illustrate animproved dry cleaning arrangement particularly, out not necessarily,adapted for a plurality of combination fabric-cleaning and dryingmachines, two of which are shown and generally identified as I and II.

The cleaning fiuid supply system utilized with the machines has beendesigned to provide a constant iiow of clean, filtered cleaning fiuid orsolvent, such as perchlorethylene, to each machine during thefabric-cleaning cycle, each machine having an overiiow arrangement toexpel the soiled solvent from the machine to a solvent storage base tankof the machine for flow of the solvent to a pump and then to a filterfor removing soil and other impurities from the solvent and forrecirculation of the cleansed solvent. The filtered solvent is suppliedto each machine by a manifold providing a metered quantity of cleaningsolvent to each machine with a proper solvent level or height beingconstantly maintained in the machines by the location of theV solventoverflow pipe in the machine. This feature is important as each machineincludes a fabric-containing basket rotatable about a horizontal axisand designed to permit the fabric to be picked up from the solvent,lifted above the solvent and dropped back a maximum distance into thesolvent. to provide the best flushing action of the solvent through thefabric and greater dispersion and elimination of the soil from thefabric.

Prior to describing the fiuid supply system, reference is made to FIGS.1 to 4, inclusive, illustrating machines I and II. As each of thesemachines are identical in construction and operation, it is believed thedescription of one of the machines (machine I) will be adequate to anunderstanding of each machine structure and operation. Identicalstructural parts of machine II are designated with the same numeral'asmachine Ibut with the sufiix` a. The structure of machine I isillustrated in FIGS. 5-10, and referring first to FIGS. 5 and' 6, themachine comprises a cabinet 10 receiving a cleaning fluid-containingreceptacle ink theV form of an imperforate cylindrical casing or tub 11having a front wall 12.and a rear-wall' 13. The tub 11 is supported by asuspension system of the inverted pendulum type generally indicated at Amounted on a base structure B, the suspension system A comprising pivotsC and D attaching the tub to the base structure B for operating movementof the tub, the pivots C and D being directly below the center line ofthe tub and being connected to the bottom of the tub by a pair of frontand rear brackets, one of which is shown at E. Control springs (notshown) can be located on opposite sides of the tub, and these springs,in conjunction with a hydraulic damper assembly are effective to controlthe tub movement during rotation of a cylindrical fabric-containingbasket or drum 18 at high speed with an unbalanced load of fabric, suchas clothes, in the basket. The suspension system arrangement of the tubis more particularly shown and described in U.S. Patent 2,978,892,issued April 11, 1961. The front wall'12 of the tub 1-1 is pro` videdwith anaccess opening 14 and a corresponding, opening 15 is in thecabinet 10. A fiexible corrugated gasket 16 extends between and connectsthe annular portions of the front walls of the tub and cabinet defining:two openings, and the cabinet is provided with a door 17 to close theopening in the tub.

The basket or drum 18 is disposed in the tub 1-1 for the reception offabric to be cleaned and dried and the basket is supported by means of aspider 19, forming a portion of the rear wall of the drum, on a sleeveshaft 20 rotatably mounted on the rear wall 13 of the tub 11 forrotation ofthe drum 18. A pulley 21, fixedly secured to the shaft 29, isadapted to be rotated by a belt 22 in driven relation to a drivingpulley 23 connected to the driven shaft of a two-speed transmission Tdriven by an electric motor M. Briefly described, the two-speedtransmission is controlled by clutches, one of which is selfenergizingand the other clutch is solenoid-controlled to provide low speed'forslow lrotation of the basket or high speed for rapidly rotating orspinning the basket. When the solenoid is deenergized, its clutch isineffective and power flow is through the self-energizing clutch toprovide low s'peed to tumble the'basket during a portion of a cleaningoperation and during the drying operation, and when the solenoid isenergized, its clutch is operative and the self-energizing clutchbecomes inoperative, so that the transmission is conditioned to providea relatively high speed to rotate the basket, for example, during theextraction of the cleaning fluid from the fabric.

More particularly, and referring to FIGS. 7 and 8, the tub 11 has theradially inner edge of its rear wall 13 connected to two annular supporthousings 24, 24 by screws 25, the housings 24, 24 having radially innerends overlapping and confining therebetween an outer race 26 of a ballbearing assembly, with the inner race 27 fixed to the sleeve shaft forrotatably supporting the shaft 20. The front end of the shaft 20 isconnected to a hub of the basket provided by the radially inner edge ofthe rear wall of the basket and two retaining rings 2S, 28 connected byscrews 29 so that rotation of the shaft 2t), by pulley 21 keyed as at 30to the rear end of the shaft, will rotate the basket.

A blower fan 32 is supported for rotation by the sleeve shaft 20including a shaft 33 extending through and mounted on needle bearingsbetween the shafts, the front end of the shaft 33 being connected to thehub 34 of the fan 32 by a bolt 35 threaded into the hub and engaging theshaft 33. The rearward end of the shaft 33 extends outwardly of theshaft 20 and receives the hub 36 of a pulley 37 for rotating the fanindependently of the basket, the pulley hub 36 being connected to theshaft 33 by a bolt 38 threaded into the hub and engaging the shaft 33.

The basket and fan shaft mounting assemblies also comprise grease sealsand thrust washers as clearly evident from an inspection of FIG. 8.

Referring now specifically to FIGS. 6 and 9 for the structure andoperation of the drive mechanism including the transmission T, thetransmission comprises an input sleeve shaft 40 having a pulley 41connected by a belt 42 to a pulley 43 driven by the electric motor M.The shaft 40 has an input pinion 44 meshing with a gear 45 fixed to acountershaft 46. A gear 47 is rotatably supported on the countershaft 46and may be coupled to the countershaft for rotation therewith by aselfenergizing clutch spring 48 of well known type, surrounding thecountershaft between gears 45 and 47. The countershaft gear 47 mesheswith a gear 49 lixed to the output shaft 50. A clutch spring 51surrounds the input shaft 40 and is positioned between the gear 49 andpinion 44, the clutch spring having a tab 52 at one end of its helicallywound coil engageable with a plunger 53 actuated by av solenoid 54.

In operation, the basket may be slowly rotated to tumble the fabric inthe cleaning fluid in the tube. As the solenoid is deenergized, itsplunger 53 engages the tab 52 of the clutch spring 51 to preventoperation of the clutch spring 51 to couple the gear 49 and spring 51,and the hub of the gear 49 turns freely within the clutch spring 51.Power ilow from the motor is transmitted to the pulley 41 and therebyinput shaft 40 and input pinion 44. Pinion 44 rotates gear V4S on thecountershaft and gear 49, keyed to the output shaft 50, to drive pulley23 to rotate the basket at slowv speed.

During the Huid-extraction period of the cleaning cycle, the basketrotates rapidly to centrifuge the uid from the fabric. For this purpose,the solenoid 54 is energized to remove its plunger S3 from the tab 52 ofthe clutch spring 51 so that power iiow will be from the input shaft 40,input pinion 44, and, as the clutch spring 51 is effective at this timeto couple the input pinion 44 and gear 49, gear 49 will be rotated todrive the output shaft 50 to rotate the basket at high speed. It will beapparent, due to the sizes of the input pinion 44 and gears 45, 47, and49, that the gear 49 will drive the gear 47 at such 6 high speed thatthe clutch spring 48 will overrun to pre-r vent power flow through thecountershaft and gear 45 to the gear 44.

Referring to FIG. 5, the cylindrical wall of the basket 1S is perforatedhaving a plurality of openings 55 therein. The basket front wall isprovided with an opening 56 spaced from the access opening in the frontwall 12 of the tub 11. An annular ring 57 is suitably attached to thefront wall 12 of the tub 11, a second annular ring 58 is attached to thering 57 and spaced therefrom by pins or rivets 59. The rear wall of thebasket 1S is provided with a pocket P formed by the legs of the spider19 merging with the cylindrical portion of the basket extending aboutthe rotational axis of the basket, the pocket P having a plurality ofopenings 60 defined by the legs of the spider 19. The front of thebasket 18 has a cylindrical flange 61 defining the opening 56, and thefront wall 12 of the casing 11 has a pair of bearing rollers 62 securedthereto to support the front of the basket.

Air circulating means, in the form of the suction type blower fan 32, isrotatably mounted in a pocket P in the rear wall of the basket 18. Thefan 32 has a plurality of curved blades and, as previously described, isdriven by a belt and pulley arrangement, the pulley being indicated at37 and the belt being indicated at 63 to be driven by the pulley 64 ofthe electric motor M. Referring to FIGS. 6 and 9A, operation of the fanis controlled by a clutch generally indicated at 65 and including aclutch spring, surrounding the motor drive shaft 66 and located within ahousing 67, the spring having an end tab 68 seated within a recess inthe housing, and the housing having an outwardly projecting finger 69engageable with the end of a plunger 70 of a solenoid 71 so that, whenthe solenoid is energized to move its plunger from the spring tab 68,the clutch spring is effective to couple the pulley 64 to the driveshaft 66 to eect drive of the pulley, and thereby the fan, by the motor.The solenoid 71 is mountedhon a bracket 72 fixed to the motor casingwhich is mounted on a plate secured to the tub, as shown in FIG. 6. Thesolenoid is energized to eiiect rotation ofthe fan during the dryingoperation.

In FIGS. 5 and 6, an annular heater assembly '73'is iixedly secured tothe front wall 12 of the tub 11 and includes an aluminum body havingembedded annular Calrod type heating coils 74 and 75 suitably connectedto a supply of electric current controllable to energize one or theother, or both, heating coils of the heater assembly during the dryingoperation of the machine. During this drying operation, the basket isrotated slowly to tumble the fabric and the fan is effective to causethe heated air to circulate and iiow between the tub and basket andaround the basket and through the perforations in the basket to dry theclothes in the basket. The heated air is then drawn through a perforatedplate 76 and lint screen S by the fan and through the pocket P of thebasket and through the openings 60 dened by the spokes of the basketrear wall Ispider 19 and into the space between the basket and the rearwall 13 of the tub to be recirculated in the machine. As it i-s con?templated the machine will be used with a dry cleaning solvent, such asperchlorethylene, vaporizable during the drying operation, a condenser,generally indicated at 77, is positioned adjacent the lower portion ofthe wall 13 of the tubV 11 for condensation of the solvent vaporsproduced by the drying operation. Moreparticularly, the condenser 77comprises a plate of arcuate configuration and having upper and lowerconnected passages 78l and 79 with the upper passage 78 being connectedt0 a water inlet hose 80, the passages 78 and 79'of the condenserconducting the water t0 a hose 81 leading to a drain exteriorly of themachine. As seen in FIG. 5, the condenser is mounted on the inside ofthe rear wall 13 of the casing 11 by securing means 82. The hose 811extends to a valve CV controlled by a solenoid CS which, when energized,opens the valve to permit cold water to enter and flow through the hoseS' into and through the condenser into the hose S1.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 `and 6, the drum 11v has the upper portion ofits rear wall provided with air shutters in the form of air inlet andexhaust poppet valves, generally indicated at 83 and S4, operative topermit air to enter the tub 11 through valve 83 so that all solventvapors may be flushedk and' dishcarged from the machine through thevalve S4 at the end of the drying cycle of the machine to be carriedaway by a Ventilating system. The Ventilating system includes an airintake opening in wall 13 of the tub 11, through which flow'of air intothe machine is controlled by valve 83', the air entering and mixing withthe solvent vapors andthe mixture then being discharged through thevalve S4 into an air duct 85 and a plenum duct 86 and throughv anexhaust duct 87 into the atmosphere exteriorV of the building. The ductS6 has a blower 83, including an electric motor 89 and a fan 90, forcausing air flow into and through the machine and into the Ventilatingsystem ducts. During operation of the blower fan, any vapor-laden airabout the machine is also drawn through a` scavenger duct 91 extendingupwardly into the duct S6 for exhaust by the blower fan.

The poppet valves 83 and S4 are identical and, for this reason, adescription of the structure and operationof only one of these valves(valve 84) will be made. The valve 841s shown in detail in FIGS. 6, 18and 19. This valve comprisesivalve body 109 having a plate portion 110with an annular flange 1113 fitting within an opening in the tub rearwall 13 and providing a seat for a flexible seal 112 to prevent air flowbetween the three spaced legs 113 of the valve bodyl from the machine.The seal is normally held engaged with the flange 1114 by anlactivating-'rod 114V slidably mounted within a sleeve 1-15 secured tothe radially inner ends of the legs 113, thesleeve 115 having asurrounding spring 116 compressed between the seal 12 and the valvebody. The rod 114 is connected to a link 117 which is connected tovoneend of a U-shaped lever 118` centrally pivoted at 119to upstanding. earson-y a tubular. extension4 collar 120, the other end of the lever 11Sbeing connected to a spring 121 coupled to the plunger 122 of a solenoid123 mounted on a bracket 124 fixed to the tub rear wall 13. The valve isshown in closed position in FIG. 18, the solenoid being energized atthis time. Upon deenergization of solenoid 123 as shown in FIG. 19, theplunger 122 will move downwardly to cause spring 116 to expand to moveseal 112 from the flange 111 to thereby permit air to flow from the tub11 through the valve 84 and into the duct 85. When the solenoid isenergized, the valve S4 will close, as shown in FIG. 18, as the link andlever arrangement will cause seal 112 to again seat aganist the flange111, the spring 116 being compressed at this time.

Referring now more particularly to the closed fluid supply system,machine I has its base structure B supported above and on a rectangularsolvent storage tank indicated at 152, the tank including a top plate153 enclosing the top of the tank and on which the machine is mounted bymeans of brackets 154, and bolt and nut securing and leveling devices,such as illustrated at 155. The flat bottoms of the tanks of machines Iand II are positioned on a floor F that is smooth, flat, and level withno rise or drop in elevation from one end of the row of tanks to theopposite end for insuring the proper flow and correct distribution ofthe solvent to the tank assemblies as will be later described. Each tankextends rearwardly of its machine, as will be obvious from the drawings,and the top plate 153 of the tank is provided with a circular opening156 for receiving a basket-type filter 157 formed of mesh wire screenand extending downwardly into the tank, the filter having its upper rim158, defining the open top thereof, extending over and engaging the edgeof the opening 156 of the top plate 153 ot the tank to removablyposition the filter within the tank. A cylindrical header 159 (FIG. 10)is positioned on and may be welded to the top plate 153, the headerhaving its bottom edge inwardly turned and extending beneath the rim158- of the filter 157, the header also extending upwardly and' havingits upper end closed by a removable cover 160` having sufficient weightto insure tight sealing engagement with the upper end of the header toprevent the. escape of solvent vapors from the tank and filter. Thecover 160 is provided with a handle 161 for removal of the cover topermit access to the filter 157 which may be raised from its positionwithin the tank and through the header for cleaning lint from thefilter, as shown inl dotted lines in FIG. 10. The header 159 is formedwith a tubular portion 162 extending laterally thereof and provided witha reduced end portion for attachment to a tubular connector 163 havingone end receiving a hose 164. As seen in FIGS. 5 and 10, the hose 164extends along the top of the tank and upwardly for connection to atubular extension 165 secured to the tub 11 and defining-an openingwithin the cylindrical wall of the tublocated a predetermined distanceabove the bottom of theV tub for a purpose to be described more fullyhereinafter.

As seen more particularly in FIGS. 11 and l2, the opposite sides of thetank have substantially large, tubular extensions 166 and' 167, thetubular extension 166 providing a' fluid inlet passage for solvententering the tank and thetubular extension'167'providinga fluid outletfor the solvent from the tank. The tank has a central baille 168 aroundwhichv the solventl flows, as indicated by the arrows in FIGS. 1l and'12, and also abaffle 169 connectedl t'o the` side wall' of the tankadjacent the outlet tubular extension 167, the baffles being effectiveto prevent settling of impurities in the tank.

Referring to FIG'. 5, there is aI sump elbow 1-70 located in and`connected to the bottom of the tub of the machine, the elbow 170 havinga` laterally extending tube receiving one end of' a hose 171. Theopening in the elbow 170 is covered' by a screen 172 providing a pin andbutton trap.

Solvent is supplied to the tub of the machine through the hose 171 and,asfthe solvent enters the tub, the solvent rises to" a predeterminedyl'evel defined by the opening 165 in the side wall of the tub andthrough whichv the solvent overflows from the. tub into the hose 164 andthrough the connector 163 and tubular extension 1162 of the header 159yinto the lintv filter basket- 157,` lint being filtered from the solventand the solvent then being added tofand mixed with solvent circulatingthrough the tank from the inlet opening of the tank, provided by thetubular extension 166 ofthe tank, to the outlet opening of gie tank,provided by the tubular extension 167 of the tan Referring now moreparticularly to FIGS. 2, 3, and 4, the tubular fluid outlet extension167 of the base tank of machine I is connected to a pipe 173 effectiveto direct the soiled solvent to a circulating pump 174, the pump causingthe solvent to be forced under pressure through an open4 check valve 175and a pipe 176 into the bottom of the filter 177. The filter 177 mayemploy screens covered with a filtering compound for filteringimpurities from the solvent. The soiledsolvent enters the filter 177,adjacent the bottom thereof, through the pipe 176, and filtered cleansolvent flows from an outlet at the top of the filter into a pipe 178which, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, is elevated above the top ofthefilter.

Proceeding further with the description of the fluid supply system, itwill be seen from FIGS. 2, 3, and 4, solvent flows from the filter 177into the pipe 178 which extends downwardly through a water-cooled heatexchanger 210 and thereafter turns at a right angle in a horizontalplane for delivery of solvent to the horizontal pipe 211 connected to ahorizontal manifold pipe 213. An inverted U-shaped assembly 212 includesa horizontal pipe 214 and two vertical pipes 215 and 216, the pipe 213being connected to pipe 211. The pipe 215 functions as a standpipe andis connected to pipe 213 and the solvent is forced upwardly through pipe21S and flows into pipe 214 and then downwardly into the overflow pipe216; pipe 215 terminating in a pipe 217 positioned in a horizontal planebelow that of pipe 213. The pipe 217 has its outlet end connected to theinlet tubular extension 166a of the side wall of the solvent storagebase tank 152e of machine II so that the filtered solvent flows into andthrough the base tank of machine II, as shown in FIGS. 2, 3, and 4, formixture with the soiled solvent entering the tank from the overflow hoseand the lint filter basket of machine II when maclnne II is inoperation, the solvent then flowing through a pipe 218 connecting outlettubular extension 166e with the inlet tubular extension 167 of base tank152 of machine I for mixture with the soiled solvent overflowing the tubof machine I and for flow therethrough and the outlet tubular extensionof tank 152 into the pipe 173 to the pump for recirculation through thefilter, the assembly 212, and the storage base tanks of machines I andII. A vacuum breaker hose 219 is connected to the top of pipe 214 andalso to the headers 159 and 159:1 of the storage tanks 152 and 152g asshown in FIGS. 2 and 3.

It will be apparent from this description that a substantially largevolume of ltered clean solvent liows from the filter and heat exchangerthrough the manifold pipe 213 and pipes of the U-shaped assembly 212 toeifectively mix with the relatively small volume of soiled y solvent inthe base tanks 152 and 152g of machines I and II during the cleaningoperation. The mixture of soiled and clean solvent then flows throughthe pipe 173 into the suction side of the circulating pump 174 formovement under pressure by the pump into the filter, the clean solventthen being again returned to the base tanks, to` thereby insure acontinuous circulation of the solvent in a manner'providing a constantsupply of clean filtered solvent tothe machines.

A feature of the fluid supply system is that, after the clean solventflows out of the upper end of the fil-ter 177 and the heat exchanger2119, the solvent flows, by gravity, through the pipe 211 and throughpipes 213, 215, 214, 216, and 217 into the base tank of machine II. Moreparticularly, this advantageous feature contemplates that the pump 174forces the soiled solvent into the filter 177 under pressure to filterthe solvent, the cleaned solvent being raised to an elevated positionfor flow out of the top of the filter. As the solvent in the iilter isonly under pressure, the solvent thereafter iiows `from the filter andinto the manifold pipe 213 and pipes of the assembly 212 by gravity andinto the base tank of machine II and thence into the base tank ofmachine I, the solvent continuing to flow by gravity into the machinesand flowing out of the machines and back to the pump. It is emphasizedthat this improved iiuid supply system contemplates that none of the`iiuid lines leading to or from the machines are under pressure Afromthepump. It is not necessary to mount the machines on a slope or toincline the pipes. The slope is in the solvent that `causes it to flowby gravity. Due to the employment of the gravity flow of solvent throughpipe 211 and the manifold pipe 113,Wstandpipe 215, pipe 214, andoverflow pipe 216, this gravity flow system not only allows meteredsolvent supply feed selectively to each machine, but provides a balancedfeed to one or more machines so that they receive equal amounts ofsolvent. In effect, the gravity flow of the solvent (the slope of thesolvent causing the iiow) through the machines is based on the concept.that any fluid will seek to lind its own level and once that level hasbeen established, the fluid flowing, for example, into machine II has alevel deeper than that of the level of the fluid in machine I causingthe flow of the liuid by gravity through the machines and back to thecirculating pump. The function of the standpipe 215 is to provide apressure,`caused by an active head of solvent, for feeding solvent bygravity into the tanks and tubs of the dry cleaning machines I and II.

Solvent is fed into the tub of each machine by the manifold pipe 213which, as shown in FIGS. 2, 3, and 4, is provided with downwardlyextending tubular portions 220 and 220e connected respectively to hoses221 and 221:1 which are connected to identical diverter valve assemblies222 and 222e. Each diverter Valve assembly comprises three valves,respectively identified at 223, 224, and 225 in FIG. 1l of similarconstruction but having different control functions during cleaning anddrying cycles of its machine. To describe the structure of each valveassembly, reference is made to valve assembly 222, and its valves 223,224, and 225, shown in FIGS. 11 and 13-16. For a description of one ofthe valves 223, 224, and 225, reference is made to FIGS. 13, 14 and 15.More particularly, the valve 225 functions to direct solvent from thehose 221 into and through the valve assembly 222 and into the hose 171and the tubular extension 170 of machine I, the solvent flowing into themachine until it reaches a level equal to the height of the overflowopening in the tub of the machine for iiow therefrom into thekhose 164and into the filter basket and storage base tan The introduction of air,at substantially atmospheric pressure, into the stand pipe 215 throughthe hose 219 causes a liquid-air interface in the overflow pipes 214 and216 that establishes the level of the solvent at the overflow point. Thehead of solvent feeding the machines is the distance from the liquid-airinterface to the fluid inlet valves 225 of the valve assembly 222 and/orthe valve assembly 22212. The head is substantially the same throughoutthe manifold pipe 213; however, the head is slightly higher at thefilter end of the manifold pipe. This slight variation in headrepresents the amount of pressure drop through themanifold pipe due toits inherent internal restriction. The head in the solvent manifold pipe213 can be referred to as the apparent depth of the solvent in the pipe,the variation in the head at different points in the manifold piperepresents the slope of the iiuid that causes. the iiow through thepipe.

All of the fluid in the system is under continuous flow at all times dueto the pumping capacity of the filter pump 174. The base tanks 152 and152:1, interconnected by the connecting conduit 218, represent anextension of the flow paths or pipes of the manifold and overflowarrangement. Removal of a quantity of iiuid from the manifold pipe 213represents'removal of fluid from the base tanks 152 and 152e since boththe pipe 213 and the base tanks are in the same flow path. When aquantity of solvent is removed from the manifold base tank portion ofthe fluid circuit and introduced into the tub of the machine, an equalquantity of air must be moved from the tub of the machine through theoveriow pipe 214 past the check valve CV into the base tank 152 tomaintain substantially atmospheric pressure throughout the system.

The gravity flow standpipe and fixed head feed arrangement has threeprimary advantages. First, since all portionsy of the manifold pipe 213are under approximately the same head when the iill valves 225 of thevalve assembly 222 and/or the valve assembly 222:1 open allowing fluidto flow from the manifold pipe into either or both of the machines I andII, the fixed head in the manifold pipe combined with the inherentinternal restrictions of the fill hose, lill valve and iiow path intoeither or both of the machines gives a metered flow of lluid forcleaning. This condition is maintained as long as solvent supply exceedssolvent demand and the surplus fluid of supply, exceeding demand, flowsover the overow pipe 216. At any time the supply exceeds the demand,there is no surplus iiuid flowing over the stand pipe 215 into theoveriiow pipe 216 and the amount of fluid available is proportionedequally among the machines calling for fluid. Ari additional feature isthat the rate of flow of the fluid supply may be less than that requiredfor the number of machines connected to the fluid supply, allowing moreeconomical use of cleaning machines in relation to the size of thefiltration apparatus. For instance, the filter may be partially cloggedwith soil and only 30 gallons of fluid are available and flowing throughthe manifold pipe. Assuming eight machines are employed in the drycleaning system and three machines are energized and call for uid, eachmachine receives approximately 9 gallons per minutes of fluid forcleaning the garments. The surplus fluid liows over the stand pipe intothe overflow pipe to the base tanks of the machines. When the fourthmachine is energized, no surplus fluid may ow over the stand pipe intothe overflow pipe, the head in the standpipe fails and the contacts of asolvent level switch 267 close to energize Do Not Use lamps 266 on thebackguards of any machines not in use. The 30 gallons per minute ofavailable fluid or solvent supply is equally proportioned among the fourmachines energized resulting in 71/2 gallons per minute to each machine.As soon as one of the four machines stops calling for uid, a surplus ofiluid supply exceeding demand will exist and fluid will llow over thestand pipe into the overflow pipe thereby opening the contacts of thesolvent level switch and deenergizing the Do Not Use lamps on themachines, alerting the customer that the condition of fluid supplyexceeds fluid demand and allowing another machine to be energized.

The solvent level switch device is shown in FIG. 4A and comprises a pipe307 extending upwardly of pipe 213 and in fluid communication therewithand having its upper end projecting into and positioned within a casing267a. It will be noted that the fluid level in the pipe 307 reflects anyvariations in the fluid level in the standpipe 215 continuously andproportionately. During static or changing levels of fluid in the pipe307, contacts 267d and 267e of switch 267 may or may not be closeddepending on the level of the fluid in pipe 307. In the event the levelof the fluid in the pipe 307 is as shown in FIG. 4A, it will be seenthat the switch contacts 267d and 267e are closed. The contacts 267e areiixed to the casing and have conductors C15 and C58 connected thereto,as shown in FIG. 20. The contacts 267d are fixed to a rod 267e which isconnected to a cylindrical block 267b of aluminum guidingly movablevertically within the pipe 307 in response to the level of the lluid inthis pipe and as also controlled by a tension spring 267f extendingbetween and connected to the top wall of the casing 267e and contact267d. More particularly, when the block 267b is above the low level ofthe lluid in pipe 307 and suspended by spring 2671, contacts 267d and267e are closed. As the lluid level rises in pipe 307 and the block isimmersed in the fluid, the block will be moved upwardly by the tensionspring 267i to open contacts 267d and 267e. It will be apparent thatthis occurs due to the physical phenomena of the change in density of`the fluid and air mediums causing the fluid to exert an upward force orbouyancy on a body immersed or submerged in the fluid to thereby permitupward movement of the block by the spring to open the contacts ofswitch.

It will be apparent that the dynamic condition of solvent fluid flowthrough the manifold standpipe and overflow pipe, the injection of airthrough the vent hose 219, and the establishment of the liquid-airinterface, deH termine the level of the solvent fluid in the manifoldpipe can be compared to an elevated storage tank open to atmosphericpressure which always has a liquid interface that would establish thelevel of the solvent. The injection of air at substantially atmosphericpressure through the hose 219 into the stand pipe 215 and overflow pipe214 results in a liquid-air interface under dynamic conditions thatforms a static head the same height in the manifold. If a manometer wereconnected to the solvent manifold pipe 213, it would indicate a head oreffective solvent fluid depth approximately equal to the center line ofthe pipe 214, and depending upon the solvent manifold pipe length, thishead or effective depth would increase at points in the manifold pipefarther from the standpipe 215 to the filter end of the manifold pipe.For example; using a three inch diameter manifold pipe, which providesinherently low internal resistance to the ilow of 55 gallons per minute,the head was found to be two inches more 20 feet away from the manifoldpipe than adjacent to the standpipe. This slight variation in head atdifferent positions in the manifold pipe does not significantly affectthe metering and ilow rate into the machines.

Referring to the valve assembly 222 in detail, the flow of the solventthrough the valve assembly 222 is diagrammatically shown in FIG. 16 inwhich, briefly described, the fluid enters the assembly through the hose221 and ows through the valve 225 into a common passage 226 through thevalve assembly for all of the valves of the assembly, valves 224 and223, at this time, being ineffective to divert the solvent from thepassage. Accordingly, as the valve 224 is open, the solvent passestherethrough and into and through the passage 226 to flow outwardly ofthe valve assembly and into and through the hose 171 into the tub of themachine during the fill and cleaning cycle of the machine. This ow ofthe solvent is diagrammatically illustrated in FIG. 16. During the drainand extraction periods of the cleaning cycle of the machine, the valves225 and 223 are closed and the valve 224 is open so that the solventflows from the tub sump and through hose 171 into the passage 226 of thevalve assembly and through valve 224 into the hose 252, connected to theheader 159, for flow of the solvent into the storage base tank. Duringthe drying cycle, the valve 223 is open and the valves 224 and 225 areclosed. The solvent vapors are condensed by the condenser 77 into liquidsolvent which drains from the hose 171 into the passage 226 to ilowthrough open valve 223 into hose 253 connected to a solvent and waterseparator 254. A more complete description will be later given.

As each of the valves are identical in structure, it is believed that anexplanation of one of these valves will be suiiicient and, for thispurpose, referring to FIGS. 13, 14, and l5, it will be seen that, forexample, the valve 224 is provided with a passage therethrough, forminga portion of the common passage 226 of the valve assembly, and includingtube-like extensions 227, 227 extending laterally from the valve body228 and providing passages through hoses 229 and 230 for solvent betweenthe valve 224 and the valves 225 and 223. The tubular extensions 227,227 of the valve 224 provide fluid connections to an interior valvechamber 231 of the valve body 228 through which the solvent flows, thechamber having a wall 232 providing a partition between the chamber anda tubular extension 233 disposed at a right angle to the passage throughthe valve. The wall 232 is provided with an opening 234 adapted topermit solvent to be diverted and flow from the main chamber 231 intothe tubular extension 233 and from the valve, upon pivotal movement of aflexible seal or closure member 235 adapted to engage the peripheraledge of the opening 234 to prevent passage of solvent from the chamberinto the tubular extension 233 of the valve body. More particularly, thevalve closure member 235 is connected by a pin 236 to a lever arm 237connected to a pivot pin 238 mounted in opposite facing walls of thevalve body, the pivot pin having one end projecting outwardly of thevalve body and being rotatable by a lever arm 239 projecting upwardlytherefrom and having a lost motion connection to leverarm 240 by virtueof a slot 241 in arm 239 receiving a pin 242 xed to a lever arm 240pivotally connected to the valve body by a fixed pin 243 between theopposite ends of the lever 240. A pin 244 is secured to the lever arm240 and one end of a coil spring 245 is connected to the pin 244 withits other end positioned on a pin 246 fixed to a U-shaped frame 247secured to the top of the valve body and to the tank top 153. The spring245 normally causes the lever arm 240 and 239 to urge the pivot pin 238and thereby the lever arm 237 to the position shown in FIGS. 14 and 15so that the valve closure member 235 is normally eiective to prevent thepassage of solvent through the opening 234 from the chamber 231 into thetubular extension 233 of the Valve body. To open the Valve 224, pin 244of the lever 240 is connected to the plunger 248 forming a portion ofthe core of a solenoid 249 mounted on the frame 247 and having a windingadapted to be energized to cause the plunger -to move to the left, asviewed in FIG. 13, for rotating lever arm 240 in a clockwise direction,and through the lost motion connection 241442, rotating pivot pin 238 ina counterclockwise direction, as seen in FIG. 15, to disengage theclosure member 235 from the peripheral edge of the opening 234 in thewall 232 of the valve body to permit uid to flow into and out of thetubular extension 233 of the valve body. The cornparable solenoids ofthe valves 223 and 225 are identified at 250 and 251 in FIG. 11.

Referring now to FIGS. 11 and 16, it will be assumed that the tub ofmachine I is empty of solvent and that solvent is continuously tiowingthrough the rnanifold pipe 213, the standpipe 215, and overflow pipes214 and 216 into and through the storage tanks of the machines. As thesolenoid 250 of the valve 225 is deenergized, the solvent will not iiowfrom the hose 221 into machine I. To permit the solvent from themanifold pipe to enter the hose and the machine, the solenoid 250 ofvalve 225 is lenergized to open the valve. At this time, it may' benoted that the valve 225 has one of its two 'oppositely disposedvtubular extensions plugged, and also itsfclosure member is open so thatsolvent entering the hose 221 ilows through the valve body and the otheropen tubular extension toward and into the valve 224. As the solenoids248 and 250 of valves 224 and 223 are deenergized, the solvent Howsthrough the aligned tube-like extensions of the valves and chambers ofthe valves and through hose 171 into the tub of the machine.

Accordingly, from the description of the operation of the diverter valveassembly, it will be apparent that the solvent may flow from themanifold pipe to either or both of the machines, depending upon theselective opening or closure operation of the valves 225 and 22511 oftheir valve assemblies 222 and 222a as desired by the operator of thedry cleaning system. After the clothes are cleaned by the solvent for apredetermined time period, and assuming machine I is only in use, thetub of machine I may be drained by closing the valve 225 and opening thevalve 224 while maintaining the valve 223 closed, the solvent thendrains from the tub of the machine through the hose 171, chamber ofvalve 223 and, as the closure member of valve 224 is now open, thesolvent is diverted into and passes through its lateral tubularextension 233 into a hose 252 extending through one side of the header159 and into the filter basket and the storage base tank, as shown inFIGS. and 11, for circulation by the pump to the filter 177.

The present dry cleaning system is adapted also to dry the clothes and,for this purpose is provided with the heater assembly 73 and fan 32,shown in FIG. 5, t0 cause the heated air to be circulated throughout thedryer for drying the cleaned clothes. During this time, cooling watermay be circulated through condenser 77 to condense the Vaporizedsolvent, the solvent flowing down the walls of the tub and into the hose171. At this time, the valve 225 and the valve 224 are closed and thesolenoid 251 of valve 223 is energized to open its closure member, sothat the condensed solvent ows through the hose 171 into the valve 223and flows through its lateral tubular extension into a hose 253connected to a solventwater separator 254 shown in FIG. 17. As thecondensed vapor solvent .may also contain a small portion of water, itis desirable that the water be extracted from the solvent prior toreturn of the solvent to the fluid supply system. For this purpose, the'water and solvent mixture enters the hose 253 and passes into the.

an opening in the tubular body for disposal to a drain` while thesolvent rises upwardly through a passage 260 and into a hose 263 (FIGS.2, l0, and l1) connected to the header 159 of the tank 152 for passageof the solvent into the lint basket and thence into the storage tank 152of the machine.

The heat exchanger on the filter discharge line provides cooling of thesolvent and maintains the solvent at temperatures between F. to 85 F.for best cleaning results. It is, of course, necessary that thewater-cooled heat exchanger does not exceed 70 F.

Warning indicators are embodied in the uid supply system to inform theoperator in case of an undesirable temperature of the solvent or aninadequate supply of the solvent and, for this purpose, the pipe 213,adjacent to its connection to the pipe 215, is supplied with atemperature control alarm 264 (FIGS. 2 and 3) having a thermostaticswitch 265 (FIG. 20) that closes, in the event the temperature shouldrise, for example, above F. and opens if the temperature falls below 85F., during solvent circulation in the described closed fluid circuit, toclose an electrical circuit for lighting the indicator lamps 266 in thebackguard of the machine (see FIG. l) to inform the operator of thisundesirable temperature condition of the solvent, upon completion of thecleaning and drying operations. In addition, the pipe 213 is providedwith the previously described solvent low level alarm 267 having aswitch 268 (FIG. 20) actuatable by a pressure sensing device effectiveto open single pole, single throw contacts of the switch when thesolvent head is maintained at liften inches but, when the solvent headbecomes l2 inches, causes the contacts to close to supply electricalcurrent to the lamps 266 at the completion of the cleaning and dryingoperations. The solvent level :alarm switch and temperature controlalarm switch are placed in parallel in an electrical circuit having acam-controlled switch closable at the end ofthe cleaning and dryingoperations, so that when either warning indicator switch is closed, facircuit is established to the indicator lamps notifying the operator ofthe machine or machines that the solvent temperature is incorrect, orthe solvent level head is so low, that a proper cleaning of the clothingin the machines may not occur. The indicator lamps 266 are disposed inthe backguard BG of the machine (FIG. l) behind red glass, above thelegend DO NOT USE on the face of the backguard of the machine to clearlyindicate this undesirable condition or conditions of the solvent.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, another safety feature is the condenserwater control arrangement for the heat exchanger 210 provided by a waterpressure switch WPS (FIG. 2) which is installed in the water line orpipe WL and ahead of a thermostatically-controlled Water regulatingvalve l WV in the pipe, the pipe conducting cooling water to the heatexchanger. electrical control circuit shown in FIG. 20.

With reference to the thermostatic water valve TWV, this valve functionsto supply proper water temperatures to the heat exchanger. The valve TWVoperates from a thermostatic sensing bulb immersed in the discharge linecarrying the cleaning solvent. The. valve is designed to close-at 75 F.and to be fully open at 85 F.

In this dry cleaningsystem, each-machine may be operated independentlyof the other machine and, for this purpose, each machine is providedwith an electrical control system shown in FIG 20, and including asequential controller or timer arrangement, for operation of The switchWPS is in an

1. IN A FABRIC-DRYING MACHINE, A CONTAINER; A BASKET ROTATABLY MOUNTEDIN SAID CONTAINER; AN ELECTRIC MOTOR FOR ROTATING SAID BASKET; A FIRSTELECTRIC CIRCUIT FOR ENERGIZING SAID MOTOR; A HEATER ELEMENT IN SAIDCONTAINER AND OPERABLE TO HEAT THE AIR IN SAID CONTAINER; MEANS FORCIRCULATING THE HEATED AIR IN SAID CONTAINER TO DRY THE FABRIC IN SAIDBASKET AND INCLUDING A FAN, A CLUTCH, AND ELECTROMAGNETIC MEANSENERGIZABLE TO ACTUATE SAID CLUTCH FOR COUPLING SAID FAN TO SAID MOTORFOR ROTATION OF SAID FAN BY SAID ELECTRIC MOTOR; A SECOND ELECTRICCIRCUIT FOR ENERGIZING SAID ELECTROMAGNETIC MEANS, AND INCLUDING A FIRSTSWITCH; A THIRD ELECTRIC CIRCUIT FOR ENERGIZING SAID HEATER ELEMENTINCLUDING A THERMOSTAT, AND A DOUBLE THROW SECOND SWITCH OPERATIVE BYSAID THERMOSTAT AT A PREDETERMINED TEMPERATURE TO INTERRUPT SAID THIRDELECTRIC CIRCUT; A PROGRAMMING ARRANGEMENT INCLUDING AN INTEVAL CONTROLTIMER HAVING A TIMER MOTOR, A CAM BANK ADVANCED BY IMPULSES OF THE TIMERMOTOR IN A STEP-BY-STEP MANNER AND PROVIDING TIME INTERVALS OF THETIMER, AND INTERVAL SWITCHES OPERATIVE BY SAID CAM BANK ACCORDING TO APRESCRIBED SEQUENCE, AND FIRST AND SECOND SUBINTERVAL TIMERS EACH HAVINGA TIMER MOTOR AND A CAM BANK ADVANCED BY IMPULSES THEREOF IN ASTEP-BY-STEP MANNER, AND SUBINTERVAL SWITCHES OPERATIVE BY SAIDSUBINTERVAL CAM BANK TO COMPLETE CIRCUITS PERIODICALLY ENERGIZING ANDADVANCING SAID INTERVAL TIMER MOTOR DURING A TIME INTERVAL OF THEINTERVAL TIMER, SAID SUBINTERVAL SWITCHES BEING CONNECTED IN CIRCUITWITH CERTAIN OF THE INTERVAL SWITCHES TO MODIFY CIRCUITS CONTROLLED BYTHE INTERVAL SWITCHES IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE OPERATION OF THESUBINTERVAL SWITCHES, SAID PROGRAMMING ARRANGEMENT INCLUDING AFABRIC-DRYING SEQUENCE IN WHICH SAID INTERVAL TIMER MOTOR IS ENERGIZEDTO OPERATE INTERVAL SWITCHES ESTABLISHING SAID FIRST, SECOND AND THIRDCIRCUITS, SAID INTERVAL TIMER THEREAFTER INTERRUPTING ITS ENERGIZINGCIRCUIT FOR SAID INTERVAL TIMER MOTOR WHILE ESTABLISHING A FOURTHCIRCUIT ENERGIZING SAID FIRST SUBINTERVAL TIMER MOTOR TO PERIODICALLYESTABLISH THE NTERVAL TIMER MOTOR-ENERGIZING CIRCUIT TO ADVANCE THEINTERVAL TIMER MOTOR DURING THE REMAINING PORTION OF THE DRYING PERIOD;A FIFTH ELECTRIC-CIRCUIT FOR ENERGIZING SAID SECOND SUBINTERVAL TIMERMOTOR AND INCLUDING SAID SECOND SWITCH OPERATIVE TO ESTABLISH SAID FIFTHCIRCUIT UPON OPERATION OF SAID THERMOSTAT TO INTERRUPT SAID THIRDELECTRIC CIRCUIT, ENERGIZATION OF SAID SECOND SUBINTERVAL TIMER MOTORBEING EFFECTIVE TO OPEN SAID FIRST SWITCH TO INTERRUPT SAID SECONDCIRCUIT FOR DEENERGIZING SAID ELECTROMAGNETIC MEANS AND TO ENERGIZE SAIDSECOND SUBINTERVAL TIMER MOTOR TO ESTABLISH A SIXTH CIRCUIT TO ENERGIZESAID INTERVAL TIMER MOTOR TO ADVANCE THE INTERVAL TIMER MOTOR UNTIL SAIDTHERMOSTAT SWITCH IS OPERATIVE, UPON THE AIR TERMPERATURE BEING BELOWSAID PREDETERMINED AIR TIMPERATURE, TO INTERRUPT SAID FIFTH CIRCUIT ANDTO REESTABLISH SAID SECOND CIRCUIT, SAID SUBINTERVAL TIMER CIRCUITSBEING IN PARALLEL RELATION TO EACH OTHER, AND SAID FIRST SUBINTERVALTIMER HAVING ITS INTERVAL LTIMER MOTOR CIRCUIT-ESTABLISHING CONTACTSOPEN DURING ENERGIZATION OF SAID SECOND SUBINTERVAL TIMER MOTOR.